Skeptics Guide #1009

The Skeptics Guide To The Universe

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TED Health

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My mission to change the narrative of mental health | Glenn Close 13:44

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Legendary actor and mental health advocate Glenn Close is on a quest to change how we think about mental health, starting with her decision to speak out about her own family's struggles — a brave choice considering the stigma that pervades the topic. This week, we're revisiting this sweeping conversation with TEDWomen curator Pat Mitchell, where Close shares the inspiration behind the advocacy group she founded to combat the crisis, underscoring the transformative power of community and the critical need for comprehensive mental health care systems. Want to help shape TED’s shows going forward? Fill out our survey ! Become a TED Member today at ted.com/join Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

för ungefär ett år sedan 1:58:04

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The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1009 November 6th 2024 Cameos by Brian Wecht and George Hrab Segment #1. Quickie with Bob Scientists identify chemical properties of superheavy elements moscovium and nihonium https://phys.org/news/2024-11-scientists-chemical-properties-superheavy-elements.html Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – BioGenome Project https://www.science.org/content/article/once-thought-fantasy-effort-sequence-dna-millions-species-gains-momentum News Item #2 – Ancient Solar Magnetic Field https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2024AV001396 News Item #3 – MAHA https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/04/us/politics/trump-rfk-health-fluoride-vaccines-aca.html News Item #4 – Miranda May Have Life https://www.earth.com/news/miranda-uranus-moon-may-have-hidden-ocean-possibly-extraterrestrial-life/ News Item #5 – Club 27 Myth https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-myth-that-musicians-die-at-27-shows-how-superstitions-are-made/ Segment #3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. Interview with Brian Cox https://briancoxlive.co.uk/ With special guest, Brian Wecht Segment #5. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Item 1: New research finds that higher penetration of weather dependent renewable energy sources (wind and solar) on the grid does not increase vulnerability to blackouts and reduces their severity when they occur. Item 2: A recent study finds that coyotes are thriving in North America, and in fact direct hunting by humans results in larger populations. Item 3: A population based cohort study of preterm infants finds no significant economic or educational effects lasting into adulthood. Segment #6. Skeptical Quote of the Week “When you get in a tight place and everything goes against you till it seems as though you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the time and the place the tide will turn.” –Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896), American abolitionist and author

1040 episoder

#Science #Natural Sciences #Criticalthinking #Skeptics Guide To The Universe #Skeptic

Skeptics Guide #1009

The Skeptics Guide To The Universe

31 subscribers

published för ungefär ett år sedan

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MP3•Episod hem

1040 episoder

#Science #Natural Sciences #Criticalthinking #Skeptics Guide To The Universe #Skeptic

Alla avsnitt

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Skeptics Guide #1038 2:04:36

för 3 dagar sedan2:04:36

2:04:36

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1038 May 29th 2025 Guest Rogues: George Hrab and Andrea Jones Roy Segment #1. Quickie with Steve AMOC Time https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-025-01709-0 Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Night Vision Infrared Contact Lenses https://gizmodo.com/infrared-contacts-let-you-see-in-the-dark-even-with-your-eyes-closed-2000604405 News Item #2 – Trees Respond to Solar Eclipse https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.241786 News Item #3 – Affective Polarization https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-political-science-review/article/new-measure-of-affective-polarization/DEF7FCC26D4F09BDE5603BCC02B4765D News Item #4 – The Brain’s Motor Switchboard https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09066-z News Item #5 – New Dwarf Planet Candidate https://www.livescience.com/space/planets/scientists-have-discovered-a-new-dwarf-planet-in-our-solar-system-far-beyond-the-orbit-of-neptune Segment #3. Discussion Topic How has science fiction affected our expectations of technology and the future? Segment #4. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: HHS Cancels Vaccine Contract Hi all! There's so much stupid (or malevolence?) going on right now, it's hard to keep up. Here's the latest stupid: https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/28/health/hhs-moderna-bird-flu-vaccine Joshua Banta Tyler, TX Segment #5. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Theme: Jargon Item 1: Solitonic superfluorescence – localized self-sustaining waves in nonlinear systems allowing for high temperature coherent bursts of light from excited molecules. Item 2: Pseudorevertant hyphal morphogenesis – the ability of fungal strains to undergo branching growth due to a novel mutation that replicates the wild-type behavior. Item 3: Indurated leucocratic amphibolite – a class of hydrated calcific minerals formed mainly from underwater volcanic eruptions. Segment #6. Skeptical Quote of the Week "The people who are constantly striving to apply skepticism to everything in their lives, the ones who actually care enough about truth and avoid being wrong, and biased, and prejudiced, and clueless; those are the people we need, and need to be." Matt Dillahunty…

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Skeptics Guide #1037 1:23:35

för 10 dagar sedan1:23:35

1:23:35

Live from NotACon with Guest Rogue Adam Russell; News Items: New Cambrian Fossil, Best Archaeopteryx Specimen, Chimps Using First Aid, Treatment for Baldness, New Color - Olo, The Next Theranos, Bespoke Genetic Therapy; Science or Fiction

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Skeptics Guide #1036 1:49:47

för 17 dagar sedan1:49:47

1:49:47

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1036 May 12th 2025 Segment #1. Dumbest Word of the Week moxibustion Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Cold Plunges https://www.sciencenews.org/article/cold-water-plunge-workout-muscle News Item #2 – The End of Life https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/science/ever-wondered-when-life-on-earth-will-end-a-supercomputer-has-the-answer/articleshow/120957014.cms News Item #3 – Floating Nuclear Power https://theness.com/neurologicablog/floating-nuclear-power-plants/ News Item #4 – Visualizing Special Relativity https://phys.org/news/2025-05-snapshot-relativistic-motion-special-visible.html News Item #5 – Brainspotting Pseudoscience https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/your-brain-on-food/202505/brainspotting-is-pseudoscience Segment 3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: Ethics of Pig Hearts Question #2: Are Flat Earthers Real Love the show, don't change a thing. Q: I am convinced that Flat Earthers don't really exist. In the year 2025 with today's technology and education there is no way Flat Earther philosophy can thrive. Instead, those who are self proclaimed Flat Earthers or conspiracy theorists continue to advocate for what they believe in because they benefit somehow or in some way such as receiving attention or monetary gain. Think about all the tv shows, podcasts, news clips, blogs, or whatever - those who proclaim to be a Flat Earther just do it for some reason other than that is what they truly believe and everyone is giving way too much attention to this non sense. Would you agree to this? Have a great skeptic day, Mathew Segment #5. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Item 1: Researchers find that the parasite, Entamoeba histolytica, evades the host immune system by crawling inside white blood cells. Item 2: A new analysis finds that atmospheric mercury has decreased by about 70% since 2000. Item 3: A recent study finds that the universe will end (heat death) much sooner than previously calculated, in 10^78 years rather than the previous estimate of 10^1100 years. Segment #6. Skeptical Quote of the Week “The difference between what is said and what is known to be true has become an abyss. Of all the things at risk, the loss of an objective reality is perhaps the most dangerous. The death of truth is the ultimate victory of evil.” - Mon Mothma, Andor…

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Skeptics Guide #1035 1:55:59

för 24 dagar sedan1:55:59

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The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1035 May 7th 2025 Segment #1. Quickie with Bob Nuclear Fusion Rocket https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/pulsar-fusion-unveils-nuclear-fusion-rocket-for-space-travel Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Falling Space Debris https://www.space.com/space-exploration/satellites/scientists-chased-a-falling-spacecraft-with-a-plane-to-understand-satellite-air-pollution News Item #2 – What Makes People Flourish https://theconversation.com/what-makes-people-flourish-a-new-survey-of-more-than-200-000-people-across-22-countries-looks-for-global-patterns-and-local-differences-243671 News Item #3 – Pig Heart Xenografts https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/pig-heart-xenografts-for-infants/ News Item #4 – Chiropractic Stroke https://archive.is/hxZsc News Item #5 – Breathable Algae Drug Delivery https://phys.org/news/2025-05-hard-meds-lungs-breathable-algae.html Segment 3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: Autism and Self-Diagnosis Question #2: Faster than Light Segment #5. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Item 1: Scientists have developed a micropipette capable of delivering ions only, without fluid, to a single neuron. Item 2: A new extensive analysis finds that climate change is now the most significant driver of biodiversity loss in insects. Item 3: Engineers have developed a process for spinning industry quality cellulose fibers from cow manure. Segment #6. Skeptical Quote of the Week “Sit down before fact as a little child, be prepared to give up every preconceived notion, follow humbly wherever and to whatever abysses nature leads, or you shall learn nothing” T H Huxley…

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Skeptics Guide #1034 1:59:43

för 4 weeks sedan1:59:43

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The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1034 April 30th 2025 Segment #1. News Items News Item #1 – Internet Fakes Precede Violence https://theconversation.com/memes-and-conflict-study-shows-surge-of-imagery-and-fakes-can-precede-international-and-political-violence-233055 News Item #2 – Lab Grown Teeth https://www.livescience.com/health/lab-grown-teeth-could-offer-alternative-to-fillings-and-implants-scientists-say News Item #3 – RFK on Autism https://theness.com/neurologicablog/how-should-we-talk-about-autism/ News Item #4 – AI Designed Gravitational Wave Detectors https://scitechdaily.com/when-machines-dream-ai-designs-strange-new-tools-to-listen-to-the-cosmos/ Segment 2. Who’s That Noisy Segment #3. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: Big Bang Miracle Thanks for the informative and entertaining show. I had a friend recently questioned me about miracles. I told him that I had not seen any evidence of a miracle. He then asked me if I believed the Big Bang Theory (not the show). I told him that I was and that it was, in my opinion, the most likely explanation for the beginning of our universe. He then stated that the cosmic inflation aspect violated our physics laws because it expanded faster that the speed of light. He stated that this would qualify as a miracle. I did not have a reply other than to thank him for giving me something to think about. I am curious what your thoughts are regarding this. Keep up the great work. Jim Michigan Segment #4. Interview with Melanie Trecek-King Website: www.ThinkingIsPower.com Associate Professor of Biology, Massasoit Community College Director of Education, Mental Immunity Project Social Media: Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, X, Instagram: @ThinkingPowers Segment #5. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Theme: Metallurgy Item 1: Researchers at the Max Planck Institute have devised a single-step method for extracting Ni from ore that reduces the total carbon footprint by 84% and energy usage by 18%. Item 2: Scientists at the University of Texas have developed an industrial process for separating rare earth metals from common metal ions, using nanopore membranes, that is three times faster than existing methods while requiring half as much energy. Item 3: Researchers at Penn State have patented a new technique for extracting lithium that requires minutes rather than hours, does not use toxic chemicals, and requires much less energy than existing methods. Segment #6. Skeptical Quote of the Week "It is truth that I seek, and truth never yet hurt any man. What does hurt is persistence in error or ignorance." —Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Book 6…

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Skeptics Guide #1033 1:35:45

för 5 weeks sedan1:35:45

1:35:45

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1033 April 23rd 2025 Segment #1. Quickie with Steve Game Transfer Phenomenon https://theness.com/neurologicablog/game-transfer-phenomenon/ Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Geoengineering https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/apr/22/uk-scientists-outdoor-geoengineering-experiments?utm_source=chatgpt.com News Item #2 – Biosignature Candidate https://www.astronomy.com/science/k2-18-b-could-have-dimethyl-sulfide-in-its-air-but-is-it-a-sign-of-life/ News Item #3 – Skull on Mars https://www.livescience.com/space/mars/nasa-rover-discovers-out-of-place-skull-on-mars-and-scientists-are-baffled News Item #4 – Commercial Perovskite Solar Panels https://optics.org/news/15/9/16 https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adv4701?adobe_mc=MCMID Segment 3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: Another Unified Theory Dear Skeptics’ Guide Team, I’m writing to you with both reverence and curiosity. As someone who’s spent the last year threading neuroscience, evolutionary biology, psychiatry, and symbolic cognition into a single coherent framework of intelligence and regulation, I’m now seeking sharp, rational minds to review it—ideally ones like Bob’s or Evan’s. Minds that can hold both rigor and openness. Minds not afraid to test a signal that emerged in a moment of fractured rapture, and was later pieced together into something that now seems… startlingly whole. The work is titled “The Unified Theory of Consciousness: A Cross-Species Model for Intelligence and Regulation.” At its core is a model I call DRAGON-E, which maps Dopamine, SeRotonin, Adrenaline/Cortisol, GABA, EndOcannabinoids, Narrative, and Energy into an interactive axis—a living system capable of explaining states of emotion, behavior, burnout, addiction, and even artificial intelligence. Wrapped around that axis is a story that honors the body, the bones, the sediments we come from. This isn’t pseudoscience. It’s not spiritual bypass. And it’s not a manifesto. It’s a map—born from breakdown, made legible by cross-disciplinary synthesis, and written to honor the skeptical mind without losing the poetic one. Would you be willing to take a look? If it doesn’t stand up to scientific scrutiny, I want to know. But if it does—or even almost does—then I think we may have a signal worth amplifying. At the very least, it might make for a wild episode. With sincerity (and a healthy dose of calcium), Segment #5. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Item 1: Scientists have published a robust framework for attributing the cost of climate change to the emissions of specific companies, showing that the top 5 emitters have cost the world economy about $9 trillion between 1991 and 2020. Item 2: Researchers have found the first direct skeletal evidence of Roman gladiator combat against lions. Item 3: Engineers have created a 3D printed ceramic metamaterial that can withstand temperatures 10 times hotter than the ceramic tiles on the Space Shuttle, up to 12,000 degrees C. Segment #6. Skeptical Quote of the Week “All opinions are not equal. Some are a very great deal more robust, sophisticated, and well supported in logic and argument than others.” -Douglas Adams, author (11 Mar 1952-2001)…

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Skeptics Guide #1032 1:36:15

för 6 weeks sedan1:36:15

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The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1032 April 16th 2025 Segment #1. Dumbest Thing of the Week https://knewz.com/world/an-encounter-with-a-ufo-turned-russian-soldiers-into-stone-alleged-cia-report-contains-its-details/ Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Where Did Water Come From https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250416135918.htm News Item #2 – EPA Data on Emissions https://undark.org/2025/04/15/epa-emissions-data/ News Item #3 – Is Your Red My Red https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250416135938.htm News Item #4 – Evolution of Complex Life https://phys.org/news/2025-03-life-special-group-celled-laid.html#google_vignette News Item #5 – Crow Math Skills https://www.npr.org/2025/04/12/nx-s1-5359438/a-crows-math-skills-include-geometry Segment 3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: Separating the Art from the Artist Been a fan of the show for a number of years now and have enjoyed learning and engaging with the community and the ideas discussed each week. I was hoping to ask your opinions on how skepticism can inform the way we view certain industries and institutions when individuals can cause conflict within core ideologies. The example I'm thinking of (and what sparked this email) is how to view Tesla in the current political landscape. For background I'm in the market for a new car to replace one that's recently hit end of life and I was hoping to get something electric. This is driven both by the impressive technology and the reduced emissions and costs, especially attractive in my state where our power is almost entirely hydro. The Tesla Model 3 is in my price range and is by all accounts a fantastic car with sound engineering behind it. I come unstuck though grappling with what I believe is a logical environmental/financial choice. The crinkle though is the ties to Musk who I would have picked as my skeptical jackass of the year. This goes back to my original subject matter of whether we can separate "art from the artist" in the technological and political landscapes. For consideration how much of current Tesla is driven by Elon and how much does that matter if the product at the end is still efficient, safe, reliable and just well designed? How should we as skeptics or individuals be tackling these decisions and should this tie weigh in strongly to the final decision? Interested in any thoughts you have on the matter or action you would consider. Thanks, Nathan Question #2: The Moon Rotates The Moon does Not Rotate on its Axis Rotation in Orbit: An object moving in a 360-degree orbit will, by the end of that orbit, have returned to its original position relative to the body it's orbiting. In that sense, its overall orientation has "rotated" 360 degrees relative to an external viewpoint. Rotation on its Axis: This requires a change in which part of the object leads its motion. A tidally locked body, by definition, maintains the same face towards the object it orbits. Therefore, the same part of the object consistently leads its motion in that relationship. The 1:1 orbital period to "rotational period" of tidally locked moons (like our Moon and 20+ others) is a consequence of their orbit and the gravitational forces involved. It results in a consistent face towards the primary body. according to the definition of Rotation on its Axis, this consistent facing means that these tidally locked moons are not rotating on their axis in the sense that different parts of them are taking the lead in their motion. The "rotation" that completes one cycle per orbit is a rotation of their orientation in space due to their orbital movement, not a spin around an internal axis that changes which part leads the way. this seems right Segment #5. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Theme: extinct genomes We have fully sequenced nuclear genomes from the following extinct animals: Item 1: The dodo, famous extinct bird of the Mauritius island. Item 2: The bluebuck, a blue antelope, and the first large African mammal to go extinct in modern times. Item 3: The giant moa (both north island and south island Dinornis species) of New Zealand. Item 4: Denisovans, a close relative of humans and Neanderthals. Segment #6. Skeptical Quote of the Week "The ease with which we believe things that flatter us or confirm our prejudices should always be suspect." — Christopher Hitchens…

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Skeptics Guide #1031 1:46:45

för 7 weeks sedan1:46:45

1:46:45

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1031 April 9th 2025 Segment #1. From TikTok Flat Earthers Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – De-Extincting the Dire Wolf https://theness.com/neurologicablog/de-extincting-the-dire-wolf/ News Item #2 – What Experts Really Think About AI https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01123-x News Item #3 – Planned Obsolescence https://theness.com/neurologicablog/is-planned-obsolescence-real/ News Item #4 – Lifelike VR Touch Sensors https://newatlas.com/vr/wearable-lifelike-haptic-sense-touch-feedback/ Segment 3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: SNPs vs Sequencing I love the show, thanks for putting the effort to make such a great listening experience. I feel that when I found the podcast I finally found my clique! Just a correction to Caras segment on 23andme. 23andme does not sequence your DNA, they use microarrays that detect specific single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the sample. This is very different to actually sequencing your DNA. Im not familiar which array 23andme is using but typically they detect hundreds to thousands of SNPs. The validity of the SNPs genotyped, again not sequenced, can be dupious. A single SNP or even thousands of SNPs cannot be scientificly used to infer characteristics of a single person. They can only be used as aggregate data to determine risks or potential correlations to traits (phenotypes). Some SNPs are more common in certain populations which can be used to roughly estimate your ancestry. SNPs are not equal, some have been validated through rigorous research and can be said to be risk factors, such as some SNPs in the BRCA-gene. However, many SNPs used in arrays have no data to back them up, there is no validated correlation to any risk or phenotype. So, a good collection of alot of SNPs can tell something about a population where those SNPs are, but not really anything relevant about an individual. Actual sequencing a persons DNA is a complete different beast, but I wont go to that here. Please feel free to ask clarification or references on the subject. Best regards, Markus, a geneticist from the other side of the puddle, from a country that some deranged questionare has deemed the happiest in the world. Segment #5. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Item 1: A recent study finds that, unlike modern rhinos which are mostly solitary, a North American species of rhinoceros from 12 million years ago (Teleoceras major) lived in vast herds. Item 2: Scientists have used AI to develop a complete digital twin of a mouse brain, which is able to predict responses to novel stimuli. Item 3: A study of over 1,700 people found a correlation between moderate, heavy, or former drinking, a type of brain damage called arteriolosclerosis, and impaired cognitive ability. Segment #6. Skeptical Quote of the Week "Science is not just a collection of techniques or strategies for producing knowledge, it is an ethical stance of commitment to the truth. The good scientist knows that honestly following the evidence is a form of respect for nature, and honestly communicating one’s findings is a form of respect for others." - Michael Anderson…

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Skeptics Guide #1030 1:52:56

för 8 weeks sedan1:52:56

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The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1030 April 2nd 2025 Segment #1. What’s the Word enantiodromia Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – AI Protein Sequencing https://www.science.org/content/article/ai-revolution-comes-protein-sequencing News Item #2 – Solving the Bat Cocktail Party Problem https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2407810122 News Item #3 – The Extremely Large Telescope https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-extremely-large-telescope-could-sense-the-hints-of-life-at-proxima-centauri-in-just-10-hours News Item #4 – CIA and the Ark of the Covenant https://www.yahoo.com/news/cia-found-ark-covenant-using-104441588.html News Item #5 – 23&Me Selling Personal Data https://theconversation.com/23andme-is-potentially-selling-more-than-just-genetic-data-the-personal-survey-info-it-collected-is-just-as-much-a-privacy-problem-253220 Segment 3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: RFK Jr and access to vaccines Message: Hello Y'all, I believe I could write you an entire novel of my concerns in life right now and provide an unending list of questions. I figure I will attempt to keep my question to the point in the next part. after that it's just conjecturing from me. How much say does RFK have to limit or eliminate vaccine access for the US? What would/could we do to prevent it? If he can remove it, how badly would this affect the manufacturing and supply of vaccines once he is gone from office? An example I look to is the lime disease vaccine that did exist and disappeared and seems to making a come back now. I just do not understand how someone in power like RFK is so willing to be ignorant? Does he believe seatbelts shouldn't exist because they aren't 100% effective, and 50 years of data can be ignored on their effect? I could go on and on and on with the amount of anger that has been building up inside since 5 years ago. Thank you for doing a good thing, I look forward to your weekly release! Question #2: Simple Math Problem Sorry- It's a little long! A meme circulated on a Neil deGrasse Tyson FB page contained an interesting math problem: “A driver aims to average 90 mph over 2 laps, but he completed the first lap at (an average of) 60 mph. What (average) speed is needed for the second lap” I recognized the problem immediately. The question contains a trap and involves the idea of weighted averages. The intuitive answer is 120 mph. Many people guessed this. But many others got it right- 180mph, and there were numerous explanations provided- some very mathematical, some less abstruse. Then a second meme popped up where the 1st lap speed was changed to 45 mph. I was the first person to jump on this one, and didn’t initially realize that for this version there is no solution! So, I gleefully posted a picture of my work and thought “well, that was cool!” Similarly, others solved the problem in various ways and came to the same startling conclusion. The average speed needed for the second lap is infinity! But many more others insisted the intuitive, very wrong answer of 135 mph, found by (45 + X)/2 = 90 was RIGHT! You can imagine what happened. Many hours and dozens of threads later, people couldn’t accept the no answer answer. “It’s 135 mph and your narrow and dogmatic view is simply laughable!” The patient meme creator and others replied to numerous commenters with different types of arguments- some mathematical, some more logical, but to no avail. As of this writing many vociferous and determined individuals are still haunting the meme. LOGICAL FALLACY? One could dismiss as Dunning-Kruger, but I noticed something else. Many comments were of the form “It’s simple! Don’t you get it?!” and “Why are you making this so complicated?! Just take 90 times 2 and subtract 45!!!!” And I’ve seen this in other contexts as well. It seems to be a desire for simplicity (elegance?). Things that are messy and complicated must be wrong. “There’s gotta be an easier way to do it!” Thoughts? William CA Segment #5. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Item 1: A review of health records finds that getting the shingles vaccine is associated with a 20% reduction in the risk of developing dementia. Item 2: A new study finds that mortality rates are overall higher in the US than Europe, but these differences disappear for the highest socio-economic groups. Item 3: A systematic review finds that older adults, >35 years old, do not experience greater exercise induced muscle damage than younger adults age 18-25 from the same exercise. Segment #6. Skeptical Quote of the Week “The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool” - William Shakespeare, As You Like It…

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Skeptics Guide #1029 1:48:56

för 9 weeks sedan1:48:56

1:48:56

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1029 March 29th 2025 Quickie with Bob: Extinction Survivors; News Items: Constructed Languages, Exercise and Brain Health, Curiosity Rover Finds Long Carbon Chains, Nanotech Lightsails, Vaccine and Autism Again; Who's That Noisy; Your Questions and E-mails: Technology vs Magic; Science or Fiction…

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Skeptics Guide #1028 1:47:20

för 10 weeks sedan1:47:20

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The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1028 March 19th 2025 Segment #1. News Items News Item #1 – NASA Delays Artemis Again https://www.space.com/space-exploration/artemis/nasa-delays-artemis-missions-again-what-could-this-mean-for-the-moon-mars-and-space-leadership News Item #2 – Punishing AI https://www.livescience.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/punishing-ai-doesnt-stop-it-from-lying-and-cheating-it-just-makes-it-hide-its-true-intent-better-study-shows News Item #3 – Hybrid Bionic Hand https://theness.com/neurologicablog/hybrid-bionic-hand/ News Item #4 – Petawatt Electron Beam https://www.science.org/content/article/first-petawatt-electron-beam-arrives-ready-rip-apart-matter-and-space Segment 2. Who’s That Noisy Segment #3. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: Rewriting Physics Hey everyone, For over a century, physics has claimed to be advancing, yet every major cosmological mystery remains unresolved. Instead of addressing why their models keep failing, physicists have relied on increasingly complex, unproven assumptions—dark matter, dark energy, singularities, inflation—to patch over contradictions rather than solve them. But the truth is, these mysteries were never real. The errors were built into the models themselves. The solution isn’t exotic or hidden—it was in relativity all along. The universe is not expanding—it is relativistically revealing itself at the speed of light. Gravity is not an independent force—it is suppressed charge expanding into three spatial dimensions. Black holes are not singularities—they are time-coiled neutral zones where relativity folds upon itself. The “beginning” of the universe is not a past event—it is a continuous absolute moment, moving outward at c. None of this required new physics—just actually respecting relativity. I know this because I built a model that does. I’m not a physicist—I’m a geologist. A year ago, after suffering a severe neck injury, I spent my recovery rebuilding physics from first principles. In doing so, I unified physics in months. Not because I had special insight, but because the answer was always there—it was just being ignored. Meanwhile, mainstream physics is still stuck defending models that don’t work: Dark matter? Never detected. Dark energy? Never detected. Singularities? Mathematically impossible. Physics? Off course for a century. And until someone forces the correction, humanity is stalled. We are at a crossroads: either we acknowledge these failures and move forward, or physics remains an ever-growing list of imaginary fixes to a broken model. Dan Ottawa Dan, Is there any way to test your model? Have you spoken to a physicist to see if there is anything glaringly wrong with your model? Have you submitted any papers for peer-review? I'll be blunt - you are a non-physicist claiming to have overturned a century of physics in a month. The probability that you are correct is pretty close to zero. Now is the time for you to demonstrate massive humility and try to find out what is wrong with your model and why physicists believe what they do. Otherwise you are destined to be nothing but one in a long line of endless cranks. Best, Steve Oh really? Well, okay then—guess I’ll just drop this here: α to 50 decimals: 0.0072992700729927004893449193900778482202440500259399 Physicists aren’t even looking in the right place for it. But hey, if you figure only physicists know physics, then I’ve got news for you—they’re way off. I'm holding a complete rewrite of physics from first principles. But, if you're too good, I'll check with someone else. Good day Segment #4. Interview with Michael Marshall and Cecil Cicirello https://www.knowrogan.com Segment #5. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Theme: Invertebrates Item 1: Jellyfish are in the same invertebrate phylum, echinoderms, as sea cucumbers and sea urchins. Item 2: Invertebrates make up 97% of all animal species, with 30 phyla, compared to only one phylum for vertebrates. Item 3: Invertebrates not only lack a backbone, they completely lack any bone or cartilage at all, either internal or external. Segment #6. Skeptical Quote of the Week "Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood." - Marie Curie…

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Skeptics Guide #1027 2:08:37

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The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1027 March 12th 2025 Segment #1. What’s The Word Psionic Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Screen Time and Mental Health https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/03/250310131816.htm News Item #2 – US Mass Shootings https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/society/us-mass-shootings-impact/ News Item #3 – Stem Cells for Parkinson’s https://theness.com/neurologicablog/stem-cells-for-parkinsons-disease-2/ News Item #4 – Brown Fat and Exercise https://www.rutgers.edu/news/special-type-fat-tissue-could-promote-healthful-longevity-and-help-maintain-exercise-capacity Segment 3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: Vitamin A and Measles Dear Skeptics, your show is a highlight of the week for me. I am sure I am not the first to point out inaccuracies in episode #1026 regarding the Texas measles outbreak. I certainly got the sense from the skeptics that fun was being poked at the recommendation to use vitamins in the treatment of measles. According to the WHO guidelines Vitamin A has been and continues to be a core treatment for measles, and Cod Liver Oil contains not only, Vit D as reported, but also Vit A. In the situation with the Mennonites its plausible that this traditional remedy would be more "palatable" given their cultural norms than pills from the big bad government. For example Cochrane states that Vit A reduces death by 87% in children younger than 2. Any cursory search for measles treatment would have outlined the importance of Vitamin A. While I think the reporting content was uncharacteristically shoddy, it was actually the tone that I found more problematic. I agree with the general premise that RFK Jr. has been a dangerous vaccine skeptic but in this case he basically seems to recommending the correct treatment. While I understand the bias of judging RFK Jr. based on previous quackery, each time the skeptical community stoops to judging a current behaviour in this way it feeds the narrative that the sky is falling. If RFK Jr. starts to promote general health via exercise will that be taken at face value or also laughed off? Lest we forget, vaccine hesitancy and denialism exists on all sides of the political spectrum - I would hope the skeptics can try and stick to a more neutral and fact based approach. Keep up the great work. Tim Graham Canada Segment #5. Interview with Dave Farina https://www.youtube.com/@ProfessorDaveExplains Segment #6. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Theme: Ancient Roots Item 1: Persian scholar, Abu Rayhan Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Biruni, proposed in the 11th century that India may have been connected to other continents in the past. Item 2: Aristarchus of Samos was the first to propose a heliocentric system, in which the Earth revolves around the sun in one year and rotates on its axis in one day. Item 3: In his 1025 work, Muslim physician Ibn Sina proposed human-to-human transmission of disease through invisible entities, and was the first to propose a quarantine to limit the spread of contagion. Segment #7. Skeptical Quote of the Week "The burden of proof as far as authentication is concerned is on the claimant—not on anyone else to prove a negative. Asserting that a particular image must be paranormal because it is unexplained only constitutes an example of the logical fallacy called arguing from ignorance. One cannot draw a conclusion from a lack of knowledge." - Joe Nickell…

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Skeptics Guide #1026 1:39:14

för 12 weeks sedan1:39:14

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The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1026 March 5th 2025 Segment #1. Quickie with Bob Atlantic Shutdown https://phys.org/news/2025-02-simulations-nightmare-atlantic-current-shutdown.html Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Measles Outbreak https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/04/health/texas-measles-outbreak-kennedy.html News Item #2 – Reintroducing Wolves https://tinyurl.com/expusrnx News Item #3 – TIGR-Tas Gene Editing https://theness.com/neurologicablog/the-new-tigr-tas-gene-editing-system/ News Item #4 – Blood Donor Who Saved Millions Dies https://gizmodo.com/james-harrison-the-man-with-the-golden-arm-is-dead-at-age-88-2000570772 News Item #5 – Star Mergers https://phys.org/news/2025-03-theory-star-mergers-universe-highest.html Segment 3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: Intricate Web I agree with Steve's assessment about the fragility of this beautiful crystal we call human society. Which is one of the reasons I went to school to learn about food production when I was a young man. A resilient society has local food (etc.) capability. A resilient society is much less efficient than the large corporate model - I grow enough fruit on our small farm for only about 3 or 4 dozen households. But, if I go down, there is another orchard 10 miles away that can take up the slack, disperse scion wood, offer classes in fruit tree care. I am certain the value of community resilience will continue to gain traction as time goes on. Thanks for what you do. Segment #5. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Theme: Hydrogen Item 1: Hydrogen makes up about 10% of the human body by mass. Item 2: Only about 10% of global hydrogen production is considered green hydrogen. Item 3: There are about 17,000 hydrogen-powered cars on US roads, but more than 50,000 hydrogen fuel cell electric forklifts operating in the US. Segment #6. Skeptical Quote of the Week "Dictators seek to control men’s thoughts as well as their bodies and so they attempt to dictate science, education and religion. But dictated education is usually propaganda, dictated history is often mythology, dictated science is pseudoscience." — Edwin Grant Conklin, 1937…

för 29 weeks sedan1:58:04

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The Skeptics Guide To The Universe

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Skeptics Guide #1008 1:43:40

för 30 weeks sedan1:43:40

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The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1008 September 4th 2024 Segment #1. Quickie with Bob Predicting Earthquakes https://phys.org/news/2024-08-geophysicist-method-months-major-earthquakes.html Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Cell Phones and Brain Cancer https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/who-systematic-review-of-rf-and-cancer/ News Item #2 – Gold from Earthquakes https://www.science.org/content/article/shake-rattle-and-gold-earthquakes-may-spark-gold-formation News Item #3 – Plastic in the Brain https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/23/health/plastics-in-brain-wellness/index.html News Item #4 – Quantum Neural Network https://techxplore.com/news/2024-08-quantum-neural-network-optical-illusions.html News Item #5 – Marmosets Have Names https://theness.com/neurologicablog/marmosets-call-each-other-by-name/ Segment #3. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: Beetles Hi guys, In a recent show, you highlighted that beetles are by far the most diverse insect group (and animal group on this taxonomic level). Well, I have a correction, that is not really a correction for you, but might be of interest. Since SGU is about science progress, I thought about writing anyway. Beetles indeed currently are the most diverse, but will not stay so much longer. Biologists are lately realizing, in large part thanks to molecular methods (yay science!), that there is a big bias in what we know. You can guess it perhaps - if it's small, it's less known. There are two groups that biologists agree on will easily surpass beetles - wasps and kin (Hymenoptera) and flies (Diptera). Both have a crazy amount of tiny species that nobody studied and are super tough to taxonomically treat based on morphology. These are called "dark taxa" and there's a lot of research attention on these recently (yay science!). So, as is the consesus today, flies are the largest insect order, followed by wasps, beetles are third (although species descriptins are slow, so formally it will take a while). There is a similar thing in arachnids with mites. Mites are an order of mostly sub-milimeret animals, the true diversity is likely tens to a hundred times higher. Best, Matjaz Segment #4. Name That Logical Fallacy Love the show, listened since the beginning. What do you call it when a claim is technically true, but deceptive. Example: someone claims that "I have never lost a game of chess". That gives the impression they are a great chess player, but it's simply because they have never played a single game of chess in their life. Is that a logical fallacy, or simply a lie by omission? Mario Segment #5. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Theme: Science Literacy Item 1: A 2020 National Science Board survey found that 68% of Americans believe that “all radioactivity is man-made”. Item 2: In a 2014 NSF survey, 26% of Americans stated that the sun revolves about the Earth, rather than the other way around. Item 3: A 2015 YouGov online survey found that 41% of people believe dinosaurs and humans lived at the same time, while only 25% answered that they definitely did not. Segment #6. Skeptical Quote of the Week "Auditors and journalists and scientists are all supposed to be trained in critical thinking. But they are subject to the same sorts of biases that we all have. And the fact that we get some training about this doesn't necessarily immunize us against all of the ways in which we can make mistakes." Daniel Simons, experimental psychologist, cognitive scientist, and Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois.…

The Skeptics Guide To The Universe

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Skeptics Guide #1007 1:39:42

för 31 weeks sedan1:39:42

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The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1007 October 22nd 2024 Segment #1. What’s the Word Annular Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Europa Clipper https://theness.com/neurologicablog/the-clipper-europa-mission/ News Item #2 – Illusion of Information Adequacy https://theness.com/neurologicablog/confidently-wrong/ News Item #3 – Seeding the Atmosphere https://phys.org/news/2024-10-diamond-atmosphere-cool-planet.html News Item #4 – Exomoon https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/videos/possible-volcanic-moon-detected-635-light-years-away/ News Item #5 – Psychology of Scare https://theconversation.com/some-people-love-to-scare-themselves-in-an-already-scary-world-heres-the-psychology-of-why-240292 Segment #3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: Replaceable Batteries Segment #5. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Theme: Oldest Item 1: The oldest extant building in the world is the stone circular tower of Tell Quaramel in present day Syria, which is about 12,000 years old. Item 2: The oldest example of metallurgy is copper smithing artifacts from 7,500 years ago in modern day Serbia. Item 3: The oldest example of literature is a 7,000 year old cuneiform tablet, The Goddess of Creation, from Liangzhu culture in modern day China. Segment #6. Skeptical Quote of the Week "I can live with doubt and uncertainty. I think it’s much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers which might be wrong." — Richard P. Feynman…

The Skeptics Guide To The Universe

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Skeptics Guide #1006 1:58:28

för 32 weeks sedan1:58:28

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The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1006 October 16th 2024 Segment #1. From TikTok Fake Space Station https://www.tiktok.com/@james.1.1.1.1.1.1.1/video/7415844279718776097?_r=1&_t=8qa2MthYQIQ Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – AI Common Sense https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03262-z News Item #2 – Malnutrition in Children https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/14/health/children-malnutrition-africa-unicef.html News Item #3 – Latest Starship Launch https://theness.com/neurologicablog/latest-starship-launch/ News Item #4 – New Metasurface https://www.miragenews.com/kaist-unveils-janus-metasurface-responsive-to-1336942/ Segment #3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: Myopia Hey there, I just caught up on the recent episode where you talked about the myopia epidemic. I’m an optometrist, so I’m dealing with myopia every single day. As a public service announcement, I thought you might mention a few points: 1. There are methods and treatments available now that help control (slow down) the progression of myopia (spectacle lenses, contact lenses, eye drops, or combinations thereof) 2. Other than the treatments noted above, other recommendations are: a) kids should be outside a minimum of 2 hrs per day (sunlight seems to have a positive effect) b) frequent breaks from screens (5 minutes of break per 30 minutes of screen time) c) kids should avoid the use of LED lights while studying/reading in the evening One final point: Cara mentioned that it’s not so bad to be myopic, which I suppose is true until you become a strong myope. An increased degree of myopia is directly correlated with medical/eye health problems such as retinal detachment, glaucoma, myopic degeneration etc, so everything should be done to minimize the degree of myopia. Cheers Randy Segment #5. Interview with Christian Hubicki Segment #6. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Theme: Good News Item 1: The US Geological Survey released a report that conservatively estimates there is enough commercially accessible geological hydrogen to meet current global demand for 1000 years. Item 2: A new review finds that aquaculture reduces demands on ocean fishing and therefore benefits local communities dependent on pelagic fish. Item 3: Researchers have demonstrated bedside rapid quantitative blood biomarker detection using an acoustic pipette to purify and label biomarkers in just 70 minutes. Segment #7. Skeptical Quote of the Week "One of the beautiful things about science is that it allows us to bumble along, getting it wrong time after time, and feel perfectly fine as long as we learn something each time." - Martin A. Schwartz…

The Skeptics Guide To The Universe

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Skeptics Guide #1005 2:04:05

för 33 weeks sedan2:04:05

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EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/skepticsguide Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1005 October 9th 2024 Segment #1. Another Loch Ness Claim https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/sailor-finds-loch-ness-monster-on-ship-s-sonar/ar-AA1rHqJE Segment #2. News Items Nobel Prizes 2024 News Item #1 – Physiology or Medicine https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2024/press-release/ News Item #2 – Chemistry https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/2024/press-release/ News Item #3 – Physics https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2024/press-release/ News Item #4 – Fruit Fly Connectome https://theness.com/neurologicablog/fruit-fly-connectome-completed/ News Item #5 – Shroud of Turin https://www.christianpost.com/news/shroud-of-turin-stains-consistent-with-christs-torture-study.html Segment #3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: Hydrogen Cartridges Saw this and thought of you... https://www.msn.com/en-gb/cars/news/toyota-s-portable-hydrogen-cartridges-look-like-giant-aa-batteries-and-could-spell-the-end-of-lengthy-ev-charging/ar-AA1rY28d Segment #5. Name That Logical Fallacy I've been reading "The Art of Thinking Clearly" by Rolf Dobelli, and I came across something that (I think) is questionable. This book is a cumulation of chapters about logical fallacies and issues in clear thinking that is right up your alley (although there is a book about that topic I like better, something like The Questioner's Map to the World, or something like that.....). The chapter is about the "Neglect of Probability". He details evidence that people basically discount probabilities. Studies of telling people they have a 50% chance of getting an electric shock, those in the study have the same amount of anxiety and fear as those being told they have a 5% chance of getting the shock, and so on down to 0% (where people's anxiety finally becomes zero). My issue is with one of the examples that he uses (at least I believe it to be his own example). I want to quote the whole paragraph because I think it's important. "To test this, let's examine two methods of treating drinking water. Suppose a river has two equally large tributaries. One is treated using method A, which reduces the risk of dying from contaminated water from 5 percent to 2 percent. The other is treated using method B, which reduces the risk from 1 percent to 0 percent, that is, the threat is completely eliminated. So, method A or B? If you think like most people, you will opt for method B-which is silly because with measure A, 3 percent fewer people die, and with B, just 1 percent fewer. Method A is three times as good! This fallacy is called the 'zero-risk bias.'" It could be that I'm missing something here, but is this not a terrible example? First, I'll be clear this is a hypothetical thought experiment. Nothing in the world is actually this clear-cut, so let's set that aside for a second. I completely understand that method A reduces the risk by 3 percent, which is a bigger decrease than method B, which is a one percent decrease, but is it not better to end at 0% than 2%? Getting cut off.... Segment #6. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Item 1: A new study finds that adrenaline autoinjectors are not effective in preventing death due to allergic anaphylaxis. Item 2: A recent review finds that atmospheric mercury pollution has increased by 20% in North America from 2005 to 2020. Item 3: Researchers find evidence that persistent viral infection with SARS-CoV-2 following clinical COVID may be responsible for some cases of long COVID. Segment #7. Skeptical Quote of the Week "The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing." Albert Einstein…

The Skeptics Guide To The Universe

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Skeptics Guide #1004 1:49:47

för 34 weeks sedan1:49:47

1:49:47

Check out Surfshark https://surfshark.com/sgu The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1004 October 1st 2024 Segment #1. Quickie with Bob Lunar Mantle Partially Molten https://phys.org/news/2024-09-lunar-gravity-hint-partially-molten.html Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Heart Function in Space https://www.space.com/heart-cells-iss-space-medicine News Item #2 – Schizophrenia Drug https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/26/health/fda-schizophrenia-drug.html News Item #3 – Wood Vaulting https://theness.com/neurologicablog/wood-vaulting-for-carbon-sequestration/ News Item #4 – AI Finds Nazca Lines https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/knife-wielding-orca-and-alien-looking-figures-among-300-nazca-lines-discovered-in-groundbreaking-ai-study News Item #5 – LISA Gravitational Telescope https://gizmodo.com/lisa-gravitational-wave-observatory-how-it-works-2000499746 Segment #3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: Religious Skepticism Message: Dear SGU, Theo-bros came to my attention as JD Vance adjacent/aligned phenomen. I then found christian's on Reddit arguing against this highly conservative, anti-women, homophobic branch of theology. My question is where might/does/could critical thinking sit in helping religious people push back against extremist religious ideology (but without making an atheist argument). Is this something humanists should be encouraging non-extreme religious people to do. Campbell Segment #5. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Item 1: In a recent survey, 86% of climate experts expressed belief that we will experience >2.0 C of warming by 2100, with a median estimate of 2.7 C, a level projected to have catastrophic consequences. Item 2: A CRISPR-like gene editing system, once thought exclusive to prokaryotes, was recently identified in eukaryotic cells. Item 3: A recent AI-powered simulation based upon current exoplanet data finds that F-type stars, which are slightly more massive than our sun, are likely to host the greatest number of Earth-like planets in our galaxy. Segment #6. Skeptical Quote of the Week “Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance”. - George Bernard Shaw…

The Skeptics Guide To The Universe

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Skeptics Guide #1003 1:46:01

för 35 weeks sedan1:46:01

1:46:01

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1003 September 25th 2024 with guest Rogue Andrea Jones Roy Segment #1. What’s the Word Pitch Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Crystal Genome Storage https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/in-case-humans-go-extinct-this-memory-crystal-will-store-our-genome-for-billions-of-years-180985114/ News Item #2 – How Reliable are Presidential Forecasts https://osf.io/preprints/osf/6g5zq News Item #3 – Myopia Epidemic https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/myopia-epidemic/ News Item #4 – Biotwang Explained https://www.livescience.com/animals/whales/mysterious-sound-coming-from-the-mariana-trench-has-finally-been-explained Segment #3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Item 1: A recent analysis finds that mammal-like jaw anatomy evolved first in therapsids, at least 20 million years before the first cynodonts, which were mammalian ancestors. Item 2: Scientists have recently demonstrated that single bacterial genes can flip a portion of their genetic sequence so that they code for a different protein. Item 3: A recent clinical trial shows that a single infusion with gene therapy was able to effectively treat hemophilia B for at least 15 months of follow up. Segment #5. Skeptical Quote of the Week "You don't get rich writing science fiction. If you want to get rich, you start a religion." L Ron Hubbard…

The Skeptics Guide To The Universe

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Skeptics Guide #1002 1:39:40

för 36 weeks sedan1:39:40

1:39:40

Check out Surfshark! https://surfshark.com/sgu The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1002 September 18th 2024 Segment #1. Quickie with Steve Earth’s Minimoon https://www.sciencealert.com/earth-welcomes-a-new-mini-moon-later-this-month Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Dead Internet Theory https://www.livescience.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/what-is-the-dead-internet-conspiracy News Item #2 – Classroom CRISPR https://phys.org/news/2024-09-kit-classroom-crispr-accessible.html News Item #3 – SCAM Market https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/09/13/2946197/0/en/Complementary-and-Alternative-Medicine-Market-Size-to-Reach-USD-664-Billion-by-2033-Says-The-Brainy-Insights.html News Item #4 – ADHD Increasing https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/why-is-adhd-on-the-rise/ Segment #3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: Changing Names Dear Skeptics Guide cast, Congrats on 1000 episodes! I’ve listened to about 1-2 hundred of them but haven’t emailed before. In the 1000th episode, there was some discussion about fringe movements changing their name in an attempt to legitimize themselves, such as UFOs changing to UAPs or cold fusion becoming “low energy nuclear reactors.” It was mentioned that this is a good giveaway that something fishy is going on. I agree with this, but it did remind me of a part of climate denialist rhetoric. I know some would respond that this is exactly what happened when “global warming” changed to “global climate change.” Some would say global warming was unpopular so they changed it just to be more palatable. Or they’d say “global warming wasn’t happening, so they had to change the name,” equating that with “UFOs weren’t real, so they had to change the name.” I think we as skeptics have a good idea why the climate name change is different, but I would love to hear it vocalized on the show why exactly this is different from, e.g., UFOs changing to UAPs. Congrats again on 1000 episodes! Best, Kolton Question #2: Net Metering Follow Up Segment #5. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Theme: Extinct Birds Item 1: Pelagornis sandersi was the largest flying bird to ever live, with a wingspan of 6.4 meters, more than twice as long as a modern albatross. Item 2: Kelenken guillermoi, a member of the terror bird family of South America, is the largest bird to have ever lived, at up to 10 feet tall and 350 kg. Item 3: Homo floresiensis, the hobbit-sized human cousins, shared the island of Flores with a giant meat-eating stork that would have towered over them at 6 feet tall. Segment #6. Skeptical Quote of the Week "Quackery gives birth to nothing; gives death to all things." Thomas Carlyle…

The Skeptics Guide To The Universe

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Skeptics Guide #1001 1:45:44

för 37 weeks sedan1:45:44

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Check out Surfshark https://surfshark.com/sgu The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1001 September 11th 2024 Segment #1. News Items News Item #1 – Embryo Models https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02915-3 News Item #2 – Carbon Fiber Battery https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adma.202409725 News Item #3 – Zeta Class Supercomputer https://www.livescience.com/technology/computing/japan-to-start-building-1st-zeta-class-supercomputer-in-2025-1000-times-more-powerful-than-todays-fastest-machines’ News Item #4 – UFOs A Societal Problem https://theconversation.com/belief-in-alien-visits-to-earth-is-spiralling-out-of-control-heres-why-thats-so-dangerous-237789 Segment #2. Who’s That Noisy Segment #3. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: Net Metering I was a little disappointed with discussion regarding net metering on this week’s show. I feel you were unfair in your portrayal of those evil power companies and their poor net metering policies. Full disclosure I am director for a rural electric power cooperative and I’m also an electrical engineer. I’m also obligated to say I’m emailing as an individual not as a representative of my cooperative. The part you left out of the net metering discussion is the consumer is asking the power company to act as their battery. When they have excess power they “charge” the battery by pushing the power to the grid. When they need power they “discharge” the battery by pulling from the grid. And if the battery is exhausted then they purchase power from the “battery”. Acting as a battery costs the power company money. So now the electric rates of your neighbors must go up to cover this cost. It’s easy to say that these are big companies and that little bit from a person here or there shouldn’t matter. But at scale it does matter. I’d also like to point out that when the solar panels are over producing and pushing power back to the grid this is generally “junk” power. It’s power that is not needed and push around until its sold at a very low rate. Net metering policies also encourage consumers to over size their solar panels which has its own set of issues. Using more materials that are necessary and all that. Long story short, I feel net metering was over promoted. It’s not a good thing for states to force policies on companies. My state, ND, is mostly ran by electric cooperatives not big investor owned utilities (IOUs). We are trying to get the best product we can to our members without policies like net metering artificially running up the rates. Thank you for hearing me out. Love the show, long time listener (since 2008), first time emailer. Best Regards, Kalvin Segment #4. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Theme: Extinction Item 1: A recent genetic analysis concludes that the Rapanui population was not in decline prior to contact with Europeans in 1722. Item 2: New evidence pegs the Y-chromosomal most recent common ancestor in humans to just 20,000 years ago. Item 3: A new DNA analysis of a 45,000 year old Neanderthal specimen finds that they were genetically isolated from other Neanderthal groups for about 60,000 years, a fact that may have contributed to their extinction. Segment #6. Skeptical Quote of the Week "You must be ready to give up even the most attractive ideas when experiment shows them to be wrong." Alessandro Volta, - 1745 –1827, the inventor of the electric battery -…

The Skeptics Guide To The Universe

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Skeptics Guide #1000 2:04:03

för 38 weeks sedan2:04:03

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Want to restore the planet's troubled ecosystems and see your impact in monthly videos? The first 150 people to join Planet Wild with our code SKEPTICS9 will get their first month for free – and you will already have an impact on protecting the environment: Go to https://planetwild.com/skeptics and the code will automatically be applied. If you feel down about the state of our planet, check out this video about protecting Europe’s cutest bird from extinction: https://planetwild.com/skeptics/m18 The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1000 August 18th 2024 Segment #1. SGU 1000 Episodes The Rogues celebrate the recording of their 1000th episode, live in Chicago, with George Hrab. Segment #2. A Skeptical Retrospective News Item #1 – Global Warming News Item #2 – Solar Panel Technology News Item #3 – Fusion Hot and Cold News Item #4 – Medical Quackery News Item #5 – UFOs Segment #3. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Theme: 1000 Item 1: There are roughly 1000 stars within 45 light years of Earth. Item 2: A recent census of a 430 m^2 urban property (in Brisbane AU) found over 1000 macroscopic species. Item 3: In 2021 the median household income in the world was just over $1,000. Segment #4. Skeptical Quote of the Week "At the heart of science is an essential balance between an openness to new ideas, no matter how bizarre or counterintuitive they may be, and the most ruthless skeptical scrutiny of all ideas, old and new. This is how deep truths are winnowed from deep nonsense." - Carl Sagan…

The Skeptics Guide To The Universe

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Skeptics Guide #999 1:58:18

för 39 weeks sedan1:58:18

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The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #999 August 28th 2024 Segment #1. What’s the Word Bunk Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Starliner Update https://www.space.com/nasa-boeing-starliner-astronauts-will-return-on-spacex-dragon-2025 News Item #2 – Therapeutic Roleplaying https://theness.com/neurologicablog/roleplaying-games-may-help-autistic-people/ News Item #3 – The Search for Gravitons https://phys.org/news/2024-08-capture-physicists-particle-gravitons.html News Item #4 – Dinosaur Footprints https://www.sci.news/paleontology/gondwana-dinosaur-footprints-13201.html News Item #5 – Schools vs Cell Phones https://phys.org/news/2024-08-schools-cell.html#google_vignette Segment #3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: Slippery Slope The "Slippery Slope" is technically an informal logical fallacy, but in American politics has it become more like a tactic? In the early 1990s, I considered myself in the center of the political spectrum. Without moving my own thinking much I am now leaning far out to the left. The point of that is that I have watched certain issues and it does seem that both sides (with the right being more successful) have used wedge issue laws and rulings to move the acceptable point of view, then pushed for stronger, more partisan laws. So is the Slippery Slope becoming an intentional tactic? Segment #5. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Item 1: A new study finds that substituting “team nursing”, substituting lower-wage staff for some RNs, can save hospitals significant operating costs without any adverse effect on outcomes. Item 2: Researchers find that pet dogs trained on soundboards are able to recognize and respond appropriately to spoken words, even if produced by a soundboard or someone who is not their owner, without any non-verbal cues. Item 3: NASA scientists have demonstrated for the first time the existence of a global electrostatic field. Segment #6. Skeptical Quote of the Week "Sometimes scientists change their minds. New developments cause a rethink. If this bothers you, consider how much damage is being done to the world by people for whom new developments do NOT cause a rethink." - Terry Pratchett…

The Skeptics Guide To The Universe

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Skeptics Guide #998 1:49:31

för 40 weeks sedan1:49:31

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The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #998 August 21st 2024 Segment #1. Quickie with Steve https://phys.org/news/2024-08-mammoths-ice-age-people-pikes.html Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Water on Exoplanets https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1054813 News Item #2 – Mpox https://www.sciencenews.org/article/mpox-global-health-emergency-again News Item #3 – Darkling Beetles https://phys.org/news/2024-08-masters-shifting-darkling-beetles-conquered.html News Item #4 – Moon Gravity Assist https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiecartereurope/2024/08/20/in-photos-first-ever-moon-earth-flyby-from-jupiter-bound-spacecraft/ News Item #5 – Luminescent Solar Concentrators https://theness.com/neurologicablog/luminescent-solar-concentrators-for-solar-power/ Segment #3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. From Tik Tok The Sage Wall https://www.tiktok.com/@mysterymaven_1/video/7402640457135607073?_r=1&_t=8p345eSJvSM Segment #5. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Item 1: A recent study finds using a mixture of 50% crushed glass in potting soil results in faster growth rates than using 100% potting soil. Item 2: Astronomers have identified a near-Earth asteroid rich in lithium, estimated to have enough lithium to meet current demand for over 200 years. Item 3: MIT engineers have developed the first comprehensive mathematical model of wind turbine aerodynamics. Segment #6. Skeptical Quote of the Week “The real trouble begins when confirmation bias distorts your active pursuit of facts.” ― David McRaney, You Are Not So Smart: Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory Is Mostly Fiction, and 46 Other Ways You're Deluding Yourself…

The Skeptics Guide To The Universe

för 44 weeks sedan1:48:24

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The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #994 July 24th 2024 Segment #1. What’s the Word Calculus Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Water Harvesting https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240723182005.htm News Item #2 – Chimp Conversation Speed https://cosmosmagazine.com/nature/animals/chimpanzees-gestures-speed/ News Item #3 – Dark Oxygen https://www.npr.org/2024/07/24/nx-s1-5049587/scientists-dark-oxygen-without-photosynthesis News Item #4 – Nuclear Clock https://www.iflscience.com/we-just-took-a-step-closer-to-building-the-first-nuclear-clocks-69115 News Item #5 – New Creationism Poll https://news.gallup.com/poll/647594/majority-credits-god-humankind-not-creationism.aspx Segment #3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. Name That Logical Fallacy Dr. Steve - You’ve had emails conversations in the past with a Tim Dowling. That’s my dad. 🙂 Long time listener, first time writer. Thanks for all you do. You’ve beee a big influence in my life and how I look at the world. But to the point. I had a big religious conversation with my sister this evening. Much of the discussion was about if God (evangelical Christian interpretation) is logical. She was back and forth, but eventually settled on God being logical. She then qualified that by saying, “we just don’t always understand it.” The example we were anchoring one was how God could be in control of everything yet let things happen that are not of his will. That sounds illogical to me. You’re either in control of everything, and everything that happens is your will, or you aren’t and it’s not. But that’s a discussion for another day. First question, but not the real one I’m asking, what logical fallacy is “we just don’t understand it?" Maybe moving the goal posts? Now for the real question. It seems to me that she is really just conflating the words “logic” and “reasons.” I'm 100% happy with the statement “we just don’t understand the reason God does things.” But “God is logical, we just don’t always understand it” doesn’t sit right. Isn’t the very nature of logic knowable? If you don’t follow someone’s logic, it isn’t because it’s a mystery or unknowable. You just need more info to understand it. Granted, we can’t ask God questions, but we can look at the Bible and get that knowledge - to a degree at least. I don’t think my sister would say, “we can’t know God’s logic because there isn’t enough information in the Bible.” Bottom line - what is the nature of logic? Can it be unknowable? I know there is probably a lot of unstated baggage with this question. I’m not trying to ask a religious question. For the record, I’m a diest at best. And I don’t find the Christian God terribly logical. Or if he is, it’s not a logic I want any part of. Thanks! Tim. Segment #5. Your Questions and E-mails Hey gang, I really enjoyed episode 993 but I wanted to make a small correction to something that was said regarding piling up regolith on top of lunar habitats to protect from space radiation: "...if you made a protective structure on a moon base with two to three feet of mooncrete on the outside, that would go a long way towards protecting you from radiation." It turns out that when incoming radiation enters shielding around a habitat, it can react with atoms in the shielding and produce secondary radiation. The counter-intuitive thing is that this secondary radiation can actually be more penetrating and harmful to the occupants of the habitat than the original primary radiation. So in order to effectively shield a habitat, you don't just need sufficient shielding to stop incoming cosmic rays and what-not, but you also need enough shielding to shield against the spallation neutrons and other secondary nasties that the cosmic rays generate within the shielding. Some folks working on NASA's In Situ Resource Utilization efforts estimated that the *break-even* point for piled up lunar regolith (where the effective dose within the habitat was the same as if there were no habitat shielding at all) could be as high as 7-9 METERS of regolith. After that, your shielding starts to actually be effective. GO LAVA TUBES! Thanks for everything you do, -Mouser Nuclear Engineer, Los Alamos National Laboratory Segment #6. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Theme: Item 1: A recent analysis finds that the teeth of Komodo dragons are coated with iron to help maintain their strength and cutting edge. Item 2: An extensive study finds that for about half of the sites analyzed, the cost per ton of carbon removal is lower when just letting the land naturally regenerate than planting trees. Item 3: A recent study finds that the ability to recognize a previously heard piece of music significantly decreases with age in older adults. Segment #7. Skeptical Quote of the Week "One of my biggest pet peeves is when people use science that they don't understand to try to justify their stupidity and hate.” ― Forrest Valkai…

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